Quote:
Originally Posted by miamiblue
My first Guinness experience was in Ireland and that is when I found my favorite beer. The first time I had it stateside, I was thinking, "Is this the same stuff?" At that time, I was told to never, ever drink Guinness from a bottle, only cans were acceptable, which I found to be true. The newer bottles with the funny thing in them are a bit better, though.
After visiting the Guinness brewery during my second trip to Ireland, it was confirmed that they have to add extra preservatives to get it across the pond, thus giving it a less fresh and different flavor. Since I can't necessarily wait to go to Ireland to enjoy my favorite beverage, I have found that it helps to order Guinness only at places that pour a lot of it (good turnover of kegs), and it also helps to have it poured properly (should take about 7 minutes from the time you order to the time the set it in front of you, not just one long pull of the tap).
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There are actually a few versions of Guinness stout. Most of what you see will be Guinness Draught. I've seen this one in cans and bottles at most grocery stores. There is also Guinness Extra Stout, and a Guinness Foreign Extra Stout. If I remember correctly, the Draught version weighs in at about 4% alcohol by volume. Extra Stout is about 5%, and Foreign Extra Stout is about 7 or 8%. Foreign Extra is mainly available in the Carribean and Africa, but you can find it here too.
The "funny thing" in the Guinness bottles and cans is actually a little capsule full of a mixture of Nitrogen and Carbon Dioxide gas. That's what gives Guinness its trademark creamy head. I also love the way the bubbles seem to cascade down the side of the glass like a waterfall. When you order it in a bar, it should also be served through a special draft system capable of delivering this Nitrogen/Carbon Dioxide mix. Good point about freshness miamiblue. It's best to order Guinness, or any other beer for that matter, at a place which has a good keg turnover. Nothing worse than ordering a beer that is not very popular and getting just a glass of stale beer that was sitting in the draft lines overnight.
Let's see. . . what else. . . . it is said that Guinness is brewed with a percentage of intentionally soured beer to give it a bit of a "tang". Not sure if that is still done.
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